ADDED: Theme park visitors were sitting there eating dinner — "Dining with Shamu" — next to a window to the whale's tank. Imagine biting into your food — thinking you're in this lovely, desirable environment — and seeing the whale swimming around with the dying woman in its mouth.

The root cause of this problem is the name "killer" whale. What attitude would you expect someone to develop when constantly told he is a "killer"? Sea World should immediately change the name to something like "performing" whale, or "celebrity" whale, or maybe "superstar" whale and begin sensitivity training sessions to repair the wounded self-image of these abused animals.

We knowThey call them killer whalesBut you seem surprisedWhen it pinned you down to the bottom of the tankWhere you can't turn aroundIt took half your leg, and both your lungsAnd I craved I ate hearts of sharksI know you know, that I'm a man, man, manMan, man, man eaterBut still you're surprised-prised-prised when I eat ya

Big Mike...what is funny is that the narrative that the wild creatures are trainable and smarter than humans who are the real predators has been such a lie for so long, and suddenly the lifetime practitioners of the narrative are horribly killed by the real creatures red on tooth and claw. It is ironic, but it can be solved by killing Orcas and wolves and nazis on sight.

This never would have happened if real marine biologists and zoologists actually practiced their science and study in the habitat of the animals they wish to plunder profit from. I hate zoos and I hate marine aquariums and no one can make a justifiable claim as to why they exist outside of making money. I have no problem with making money, but to exhibit these animals in a way that hurts them is wrong.

Agree with Methadras totally. especially seeing something like a wolf miserably pacing around a 10x10 cage in circles, eyes all glazed over knowing it will never get out. I just don't know why anyone would enjoy seeing a creature like that in that type of surrounding. I don't think fish give a shit where they are, but I think whales do, and the tanks these whales are housed into are tiny.

This is a dilemma. Water boarding wont crack Telly. And please remember, Telly is only the "alleged killer" here. If AG Holder says so, then we we must try him at an aquarium in NYC. Steve Irwin would be the perfect defense counsel, but he is not answering his phone.

Telly is kept in an as close an approximation to his native habitat as humans can contrive, supported by taxpayer and tourist dollars.

He is fed copious amounts of fish daily -- at no personal expense -- which relievs him of the "demeaning" necessity of having to hunt, and thus, work for a living.

He is treated as if he were something special,over and above your "average" mammal, protected by special legal status (are killer whales protected under the Endangered Species Act?), and surrounded by an endless array of "experts", who are only thus because they've never actually worked a day outside the Ivory Tower of Academia, in the Private Sector, who "study" his behavior and will ultimately explain this incident away with the "it's in his nature.." or "how would you like to be cooped up...", or "The culture doesn't truly understand killer whales.." defense.

If Telly had two legs, could apply for food stamps and vote for Obama, his life would sound an awful lot like that of many of the "oppressed minorties" here on land.

No doubt President Obama will be on television tomorrow criticizing the SWAT team of having acted stupidly, profiling, and being "species-ist", before relenting to public pressure and inviting them over for beer and a photo op.

It's a freakin' top-of-the-food-chain predator, so what did anyone expect? It's apparently more dangerous in it's taxpayer-and-tourist-supported sanctuary --under "professional and expert" supervision -- than any of my handguns ever were.

I don't feel sorry for Telly at all, and will shed no tears when he finally gets to the Cat Food factory.

This is indeed serious business. It all started bcoming funny when Garage asked, "Anyone hear from Limbaugh today?"The image of Limbaugh in a tank gone beserk on a liberal caller was more than I could take.As penance I solemnly promise never to refer to Rush as Shamu the Killer Conservative again.

Sometimes you cannot explain a joke that is about the human condition we are trapped into. The theme of life for the past 6 months has our being trapped in a dying economy with a governing elite only interested in padding their own nest as part of a new international elite and promising us death panels as a fix. that is like having to believe in politically correct diversity while Maj Hansan goes on his spree, or having to believe that Tilly is a friendly pet we play with until the truth erupts in a judgement day that any fool could plainly see was coming...but we are told that we are incorrect for expressing ourselves about it around the educated sophisticates.

The pictures they broadcast on Fox showed the whale nursing a baby. If this whale was a recent mother, it might not have been a great idea to put her back to work too soon. They might have just been stock video, though. I don't know for sure.

Still, performing with a species associated with the term "killer"--what could go wrong? Just ask Roy.

I am generally unmoved by animal "trainers" being turned upon by their trainees. I get a bit skittish when cougars attack joggers and coyotes kill hikers, but when the Alaska bear man and his girl friend find themselves on the eaten end of the study I am pretty much OK that once again the "study" showed that animals are not humans.

I didn't notice any reporting in the story that the killer whale would be put down, due to its history of...erm, killing people.It seems to me that the official who did not put down this killing killer whale immediately following the last incident should be fed to the whale himself and then the next day, the facility should have filet-o-fish burgers on its menu.